Extreme views are being taken with atheism and religion these days with most in the middle, not really caring one way or the other who wins, as long as life goes on undisturbed by either.
The religious, if challenged, simply turn to their faith and are able to explain their beliefs, ideas merely strengthened with doubts cast by unbelievers. Just like me, when doubt is caused and relieved thru prayer and study.
No institution ought to be so strong as to insist that no doubt ever be expressed. The atheists are reacting to how many years of having daily life riddled with ideas of charity and humility foisted upon them by those who do not set good examples of same. ie, wrong religions not allowed to participate in the right clubs, jobs etc over the many years the right religions have prevailed. Reaction to things like the pope not taking true responsibility upon the church and it's brothers and 'fathers' for transgressions against tender aged children in modern times, nevermind the torturous past.

There is no reason to aggrandize Dawkins to such lofty heights as to say he is promoting a new anti-religious philosophy in a religious way, unless that is to say rigid, dogmatic and public.

Being atheist does not exclude religion or philosophy or morals and ethics, now does it?
Doesn't seem to exclude things like the 10 paramitas either.

When corporatism and government, religion and academia can act with impunity, no one is safe.

"None of the girls," continues Johnston, "were from Bosnia. They were from
Russia, Romania and other places, and they were imported in by DynCorp and the Serbian mafia. These guys would say 'I gotta go to Serbia this weekend topick up three girls.' They talk about it and brag about how much they pay for them - usually between $600 and $800. In fact, there was this one guy who had to be 60 years old who had a girl who couldn't have been 14. DynCorp leadership was 100 percent in bed with the mafia over there. I didn't get any results from talking to DynCorp officials, so I went to Army CID and I drove around with them, pointing out everyone's houses who owned women and weapons."

Right now; parents, schools, children homes, responsable in public places and streets; must explain - inform children about such kind of contacts aren't correct, arent' their mistake (often there are feelings of quilt), are no games and can only harm.
It is also important teachers are talking openly about such sick behaviour in class rooms to break the shame and fear in which harmed children are dwelling.
Also a telephone number, where children can talk without fear should be given.

The Catholic Church is in an interesting position in history right now.

On one hand there is this ongoing catastrophic child molestation problem while more and more people in the west look down on the institution (I think Church attendance is also considerably less than it was in previous decades), but on the other hand in places like the Philippines and elsewhere Catholicism seems strong and probably growing.

It might lose much of its influence in western countries, but it could gain ground in Asia and Africa.

For many many children, the raids did not come soon enough!
Cry me a river when the Pope can compare what the church is going thru to an inquisition - Catholic style or the Nazi era. Reaction to the church's wrongdoings could be much worse on this planet now couldn't it?
But perhaps the Pope does know that the guilty will suffer after death and that there is no escape from misdeeds tho it may appear to be so, for a while, on this planet. Not as a retribution from an angry God but from the usual cause and effect.

what to myself is interesting, i have not seen or read any pro defense argument for the Vatican. i see pretty much "colour of law" justifications, reactions and deniability, but no concrete defense argument. Its very easy to label others a pervert, pedophilia, racist etc, that is old card to play and difficult to defend against. but still very interesting lack of defense from the greatest political, powerful, merchant class, feudal guild the world has ever known since antiquity.

BRUSSELS, July 6, 2010 (LifeSiteNews.com) – The former cardinal archbishop of Brussels is being questioned in court hearings today on his suspected involvement in cover-ups of clerical sex abuse that occurred during his 30 years as head of the Belgian Catholic Church. Godfried Cardinal Danneels is taking the stand this morning in hearings that prosecutors are expecting “not to be short.”

" In his confession Dutroux maintained that he had been acting in conjunction with a pan-European pedophile ring that involved high-level government officials."

Ngawang Drolma wrote:
Does anyone agree with the idea of legal consequences for Pope Benedict XVI? And what do you make of the charge of crimes against humanity? I would be very curious about people's thoughts

Best,
Laura

As usual, I would recommend to all professional fault seekers to clean out their own stables first.

If they don't die before they're done, they can help wipe the mote out of the eyes of others.